Republicans are accusing three California Democratic congressional candidates of backing the “defund the police” effort, arguing that their support from a national progressive organization is proof enough of that link.
Democratic Reps. TJ Cox of Fresno and Harley Rouda of Laguna Beach (Orange County), along with Assemblywoman Christy Smith, a candidate for a Southern California congressional seat, “continue to welcome the support and thousands of dollars from Indivisible, leaders of the defund the police movement,” the National Republican Congressional Committee said in a blog post Monday. That support “tells you exactly where these candidates stand on defunding the police — they support it.”
It’s a matter of dueling definitions of “defund the police,” with Republicans arguing that it’s a radical call to eliminate police protection entirely, while Democrats saying it’s about reforming the way law enforcement agencies operate.
The efforts to tie Democratic candidates to riots and anti-police rhetoric follow closely on the “law and order” mantra President Trump is using for his re-election campaign. It’s also intensely frustrating for Democrats trying to walk a line that avoids calls from the left to eliminate or seriously downsize police forces but still recognizes the need to change law enforcement strategies in response to police mistreatment of Black people.
The latest Republican attack brought a quick response from Indivisible, which was formed in 2016 as a progressive response to the election of President Trump.
“The NRCC is desperate,” said Sarah Dohl, a co-founder of Indivisible. “They know that candidates like Cox, Smith and Rouda have momentum and overwhelming grassroots support heading into November.”
The committee “should spend less time writing press releases and more time working on their talking points,” Dohl said. “Californians won’t fall for it.”
The GOP assault stems from an article that appeared Monday in the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative political journalism website. But while the story talked about the backing the three Democrats have received from Indivisible, it also said that none of them has actually said they support defunding the police.
That caveat didn’t stop GOP groups and candidates from quickly jumping in.
“Deadly riots rock America from coast to coast, but California Democrats in tight battleground districts are still relying on support from one of the most radical defund the police groups,” the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC closely linked to the House GOP leadership, said in a blog post.
Rouda “continues cozying up to far-left groups who want to defund Orange County law enforcement,” said Matt Ciepielowski, campaign manager for Rouda’s November challenger, Republican county Supervisor Michelle Steel.
Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita (Los Angeles County), who defeated Smith in a May runoff for the open seat and faces her again on Nov. 3, sent out a news release reprinting most of the Free Beacon story with the heading, “In Case You Missed It...”
At a campaign event in Orange County Sunday, Rouda said that it’s too much to expect police to deal with problems like mental health issues on the streets, troubles caused by homelessness and a variety of domestic dispute, as well as public safety and law enforcement concerns.
“We need to do a better job of having other qualified individuals to take some of that load off them so they can focus on what they were hired to do,” he said.
On its website, Indivisible recommends that supporters call local officials “and tell them to defund your local police department and invest those funds in resources people need in ... communities of color,” adding that “in many marginalized communities, police and law enforcement represent harm and terror — not safety.”
The GOP effort to tie Rouda to the defund the police movement “reeks of desperate divisiveness,” Rouda’s campaign said in a statement Tuesday. “Like many Americans, he believes our nation can hold officers to account and address systemic racism without eliminating our entire public safety system.”
John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth
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GOP looks to score points in California House races on ‘defund the police’ issue - San Francisco Chronicle
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